Noticing the severe deficiency in public healthcare sector as a result of doctors not showing up for work in rural areas, the Telangana state health department has issued show cause notices to 137 doctors. The doctors who all work in the public healthcare sector were sent the notices for failing to report for duty.

“The 137 doctors to whom the notices were sent were running their own private clinics and working at private care facilities at the expense of not appearing for their posts, as allocated by the government. Of them, 40 doctors have responded to the notice, the rest who have not will be terminated,” a state health department source told TNM.

According to the source, several doctors who had been given a job in the government healthcare sector did not report for their posting but had been collecting their salaries for the same. In addition, a number of these doctors have been working at clinics in Hyderabad. The doctors were given 7 days to respond to the notice and informed that strict action would be taken against those who did not.

“Many of the doctors aren’t willing to relocate to rural and remote areas, and they end up working in these clinics in Hyderabad. If that is the case, they should not be taking up such positions,” added the source, noting that several doctors had submitted false addresses in order to be able to hold their jobs in the government hospitals and PHCs though they had not even reported for work.

While the 40 doctors who responded to the show cause notice with a valid reason for not reporting to their duties (such as health issues) will be keeping their positions for now, however, the remaining doctors will be terminated and replaced.